56 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



December, 



do in the depth of the winter. I saw the other 

 day a basket of 3.5 flowers sell for $100, and $18 a 

 dozen was frequently raid for fine flowers last 

 season. These very plants the flowers were 

 from can he jiurchased for ~.'t cents each. 



New Jersey Horticultural Society. 



At the titteenth annual meeting of this 

 society, among other exliihitions Mr. .1. M. 

 White showed a fine lot ot Pears, anil when 

 called upon to e.xplain his methods, Mr. 

 White brought out a cart spraying machine, 

 and said he combined the insecticide for the 

 codling moth with the fungicide for the leaf 

 blight, that causes the blotching and cract:- 

 ing of the fniit. This display was a fine 

 object lesson in favor of the careful and 

 thorough spraying of fruit trees for the 

 various diseases. 



Numerous papers were read, and interesting 

 discussions followed each. Prof. E. B. Voorhees 

 had been carrying out experiments in the field 

 with various kinds of fertilizers upon Potatoes 

 and Tomatoes. From his e.xperiments in various 

 parts of the state, he was convinced that what 

 will do best upon one farm is not the most econ- 

 omical upon another. This leads to the conclusion 

 that every farmer and fruit grower needs to test 

 his own soils. Many growers made the fatal 

 mistake of comparing one brand of fertilizer 

 with another without considering the kind and 

 amount of fertilizing elements contained in each. 

 Potash should not, lor example, be compared 

 with phosphoric acid or nitrogen. The idea of 

 the limitations in the application of a fertilizer 

 was pointed out. For e.xample, six doUare' worth 

 of potash was, upon one soil, almost equal to 

 double that quantity upon another. 



Prof. Smith spoke on " Insect Warfare," and 

 dwelt upon the fact that absolute directions as 

 to time of spraying could not be given; might as 

 well think of date lor planting Corn. Every 

 grower must decide, from general principles, 

 when to begin, how long to continue, and often 

 to make the applications. With Apples tor ex- 

 ample, the young fruit needs to be kept coated 

 with a film of poison lor at least three weeks 

 from the time the fruits. The point was ad- 

 vanced that the fallen Apples were much better 

 suited to the young worms than those on the 

 trees, and all such fruit should be destroyed in 

 one way or another— if not by hogs or sheep, by 

 removal and destruction elsewhere. 



Special Greenhouse Fertlizers. 



[Abstract of paper read by Prof. S. T. Maynard before 

 the American Florists' Associatinn at Boston.] 



The main ingredients for greenhouse soil 

 are rotted turf or garden soil and stable 

 manure, fresh or decomposed, as may be re- 

 quired by peculiar plants. 



With these materials properly combined suc- 

 cessful results are obtained by the skillful gard- 

 ener, but often trouble comes from poor qualit.v 

 of some ingredient or poor mechanical condition 

 or improper treatment after being put to use, 

 and it is often difflcult to incorporate enough 

 plant food into the small space occupied by the 

 soil in greenhouses. In houses naturally moist 

 care must be exerted to use no more soil than is 

 necessary, so that a healthy condition is secured 

 for the growth ot roots. 



Home Made Manure. To increase the food 

 supply in the soil and to give the plants a start, 

 liquid manure has been used, also green or fresh 

 manure placed on the surface of the soil in the 

 beds, washing it into the soil by copious water- 

 ings, (iood results are thus obtained, but the 

 manure is very offensive and requires much 

 labor and care in applying. Because of these 

 considerations it is important to see whether we 

 can find the necessary food in chemicals and 

 special manures. 



Chemicals. With proper mechanical con- 

 ditions there is little danger of Ketting the soil 

 too rich tor the common commercial crops if 

 all the elements of plant food are present that 

 are necessary: if leal growth is wanted, potash 

 and nitrogenous elements must be used, while if 

 seed or flowers or fruit be sought, the result is 

 gotten by the use of phosphoric acid in bone 

 meal or bone black. , 



After the crop lias started, one of the best 

 ways to apply additional plant food is in a liquid 

 form. The soluble chemicals however must be 

 applied with care, for it the liquid is allowed to 

 stand on the foliage tor any length of time it is 

 liable to be seriously injured. 



Comparative Tests. The results of trials made 

 with special fertilizers for Carnations, Pansies, 

 I>ettuce, Cabbage and Tomato plants under glass 

 during several past winters .iustifled the con- 

 clusion, that of nitrates, sulphate of ammonia 

 gives best results. Of potash and soda salt, sul- 

 phate of potash has been far the most satisfac- 

 tory. Hone black must be given first place in 

 hastening maturity of plant growth and in pro- 

 ducing seed, while nitrate of soda seems to be in- 

 .iurious rather than beneficial. 



These, however, can only be given as the results 

 of a comparatively limited series of experi- 

 ments, but every precaution to understand all 

 the conditions were taken, and very complete 

 records made. As the results also confirm the 

 opinions of some of our best scientists. Prof. 

 Maynard feels warranted in recommending as 



New Hullyhuck Disease. See opposite page. 



special fertilizers for greenhouse crops sulphate 

 of ammonia and potash, ground bone or bone 

 meal and dissolved bone black. 



The tendency of nitrate of soda to absorb 

 moisture renders its use dangerous for such 

 crops as Lettuce, because of the increased mildew 

 which the moist condition generates. Muriate 

 and nitrate of potash were no better than the 

 soda, while dried blood and other animal nitro- 

 genous substances are very unsatisfactory in the 

 greenhouse, because of the amount of moisture 

 and animal life which they produce in the pro- 

 cess of decay. 



In the use ot the various salts, many a batch ot 

 seedlings and cuttings have been destroyed by 

 their too free use, or so injured as to render the 

 conditions favorable lor lungus growth on the 

 foliage. 



Cultivation of the Violet. 



I Abstract of a paper read by Mr. M. A. Hunt before the 

 Society oj Indiana Florists. I 



In relation to soil most suitable for the 

 Violet, having tried several with varying 

 results, am satisfied that a heavy loam is the 

 best, one which will not break or crack 

 though the admi.xture of sand be very slight. 



I do not bebeve that far north it is advisible to 

 grow them in trames. Hive them bench room 

 near the glass in the house by themselves, where 

 the temperature can be kept under perfect con- 

 trol. 1 have found them to thrive best when 

 kept about 10° above freezing at night, and on 

 sunny days maintaining as low a temperature as 

 possible without chiUing the plants. The small 

 grower who requires but lew would save money 

 by buying rather than undertake to grow a lew 

 under sash or in a house with other plants. 



The true solutiim to the cause and treatment 

 ot the disease which effects violets may be as lar 

 in the future as ever, but in a visit to Mr. John 

 Cook, of Baltimore, Md., he was able to show re- 

 sults. Mr. Cook grows about 130 sashes ot Violets 

 annually, and a varied experience of forty years 

 jn their care, coupled with the magnificent ap- 

 pearance of his plants at the time I saw them, 

 would seem to show that, whether his theory is 

 correct or not, his practice brings success. 



He stated that the disease appeared with him 

 about ten years ago, Marie Louise, which he had 

 then been cultivating about eight years, being so 

 much affected as to be valueless. The plants of 

 this so badly affected that season were grown on 

 his lowest bottom land, the disease showing itself 

 about August 1st. previous to which the stools 

 had been very large and fine. The following 

 season, having some planted in frames for sum- 

 mer growth on his highest land, he noticed early 

 in September that the stools under the sash 

 rests, or bars of the frame, were clean and 

 healthy, while those exposed to the sun were 

 diseased. At first he thought this was the result 

 of shade, but careful and patient watching con- 

 vinced him that it was not the shade that pre- 

 vented, but the dew that caused the mischief, 

 and his theor.v is this:— The same fever-pro- 

 ducing agency— which will bring a strong man 

 down when exposed tor any length of time to 

 the dews and miasmatic influences of the night 

 air, is the producing agent of the disease in the 

 Violet. The drop of dew on the leaf exposed to 

 an August sun evaporates, leaving poison in a 

 concentrated form on the leal. Acting on this 

 theory he plants all his Violets for summer grow- 

 ing in narrow beds, and as soon as there are any 

 signs of dew covers them by stretching water- 

 proof fibre cloth on frames so prepared as to 

 keep the cloth well above the plant, thus secur- 

 ing a circulation of air. The covering is removed 

 in the morning, and the same process gone 

 through each day until the.v are housed. 



Whatever may be thought of the theory as to 

 the cause, the cure with him seems to be effect- 

 ual, as plants grow near the others and given the 

 same treatment in every way, save in the matter 

 of night covering, are badly diseased. 



How Market Strawberries are 



Grown in England. 



(Read by Prof. O. Bunyard, be/ore the British Fruit 

 Growers' Association.) 



I propose in the first place to give a resume. 

 ot the usual way they are cultivated, and 

 then to detail the varieties. 



Culture. The best soil is a deep, stiff loam, 

 rather inclined to clay than a lighter sandy mix- 

 ture, and by preference such as does not feel the 

 summer drought to a great degree. Strawberries 

 seem to flourish on all other soils, provided deep 

 and clean culture is carried out and a heavy 

 manuring is applied before the plants are put in. 

 Situation is unimportant; all that is requisite is 

 an open space free from trees. It is Important 

 to have the land thoroughly clean at first, and in 

 order to do this a crop such as Potatoes, Cauli- 

 flowers, Peas or Beans may be taken in the pre- 

 vious years. 



The soil must be deeply cultivated. The land 

 may be deeply dug or trenched, receiving prev- 

 iously 15 tons to .50 tons of manure per acre, and 

 harrowed down two or three ways about a tort- 

 night before planting. The cost of manure, 

 carting, spreading, ploughing, etc., will be about 

 $90 per acre, or it dug, $13.5. 



Planting is generally done in March, when all 

 danger from the runners being lifted by frost is 

 past, and the plants are about making their root- 

 lets; an ingenious marker with spokes on a wheel 

 which strikes the land at regular distances is 

 used, and the planters then follow with the dib- 

 ble and plant by the acre. The distance preferred 

 is 32 inches between the rows, the plants being 16 

 inches apart. Care must be taken that the crowns 

 are not buried beneath the soil, and they should 

 be set as firmly as possible. 



Summer cultivation the first year consists in 

 removing the runners about four times with a 

 knife, horse-hoeing to keep down the weeds, and 

 hand-hoeing between the plants. 



Autumn cultivation is completed by earthing 

 up the plants with a mould board plow to protect 

 the foliage, and to allow the water to drain away 

 from the crowns the plough is set shallow. 



Id spring the field will require horse-hoeing to 

 level down the plow ridges in March or April 

 when the land is dry, and a hand-hoeing when 

 the plants are in bloom. The fields are littered 

 with Barley straw preparatory to picking. 



As soon as the crop is cleared the straw is raked 

 off, the runners and old dead foliage having been 

 removed by a baggiug-hook; the horse-hoe is 

 used again, and every encouragement given to 

 the plants to develop foliage and make plump 

 crowns lor the second season's crop, which is 

 generally the best. The straw is used in the 

 cattle yards, and thus pays lor cost of removal. 



